MAL claim first win

MAL picked up their first win of the 2010 season thanks largely to a clinical display with the bat against Walthamstow CC on Sunday.

Having lost the toss and been put in to bat, some slightly wayward early bowling helped them to reach 30 off five overs, before Avishai Kestenbaum was late on a pull and tope edged to the keeper for a slightly rusty 0. Yoav Lebens joined Mark Landau and the pair set about building a platform, putting on 79 together, with Landau reaching his half century before nicking Nathan Onojaife to slip for 51.

Pinty Baddiel was next man in, and he gave excellent support to Lebens, as the pair racked up a partnership of 83, Lebens accelerating rapidly once he had reached his own 50, and going on to 82 from just 70 balls before he found the man on the deep square leg boundary.

Baddiel was the next man to go, dismissed in the 34th over for a solid 27. Gav Lebens joined Marc Mer, and the pair began blasting boundaries to all parts, with five sixes and five fours between them. Their partnership of 56 in just over five overs meant that MAL's total would be formidable.

Lebens did hole out for 33 from just 18 balls, but Mer remained unbeaten at the end of the innings on 37 from 23. 284 from 40 overs on a pitch that was certainly doing a bit for the bowlers represented a cracking effort and bodes very well for the season.

MAL's disciplined batting display spilled over into the bowling with the first few overs being delivered with good vim and vigour by Simon Levy and Jon Begner. Walthamstow were soon in trouble, 16-1 in the fifth over as Avi Gelley pouched a catch at cover.

Runs started to flow a little too quickly but in the ninth over Levy struck again, taking an outstanding caught and bowled chance one-handed above his head to dismiss David Elliott for 22.

MAL were now leaking runs as edges flew past the slips, and the odd bad ball was rightly punished. Begner was replaced by his brother Josh, and though a poor first five balls went for 11 he redeemed himself picking up a wicket with the final ball of his first over, clean bowling Bonser for 22.

81-3 in the 12th became 81-4 in the 13th as Rob smashed a short length ball to square leg, where Avishai Kestenbaum held on to a sharp chance.

Darren Ironside and Nathan Onojaife briefly threatened to build a partnership, with Onojaife in particular striking the ball fiercely. A mix up between the wickets saw the big man run out though, by a direct hit from Simon Levy for 19. Skipper Roy Thompson fell in the next over, Josh Begner again hitting the stumps. At the halfway point the score was 116 for 6, and with an asking rate of nearly 9 an over, Walthamstow looked to be in some trouble.

They battled hard against some high quality left arm spin from Grant Traub, but the left armer picked up the 7th wicket, trapping Ed Amas LBW on the crease. Hussein briefly had a bit of fun, striking a few lusty blows off Gav Leben's medium pace swingers, before he also holed out to Kestenbaum at square leg.

And Lebens had 2 in 2 as Stonham dragged his foot out of the crease to his first ball and was smartly stumped by Mark Landau. At the end of the 40 overs Walthamstow were 183 for 9, and MAL had won by 101 runs.